Former Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist Josh Klinghoffer has accepted a no-jail plea deal for a vehicular manslaughter charge.
The 45-year-old appeared in court this week in Alhambra, California, where he pleaded no contest to misdemeanour vehicular manslaughter without gross negligence following the death of Israel Sanchez in 2024.
As reported by Rolling Stone magazine, Klinghoffer has been sentences to a year’s informal probation and 60 days of community labour.
Los Angeles County Judge Rosa Fregoso ruled that Klinghoffer, who recently toured with Pearl Jam following his Chili Peppers departure in 2019, must also complete a driver safety test and pay restitution.
“If you continue to drive while distracted, and as a result of your driving someone is killed, you can be charged with murder,” a prosecutor told Klinghoffer.
Klinghoffer, who had entered his plea, confirmed that he understood.
Sanchez’s only daughter Ashley Sanchez read out a victim impact statement, crying as she described her father’s death as an “avoidable loss that has shaken my family”.
“My father was an extraordinary grandfather to my [children],” she said.
Sanchez said her father’s death “has left an irreversible void” in their lives, as she called him “the heart of our family”.
She recalling his passion for painting and cookery, and a “unique gift for soothing” his family.
“His meals were more than just food. They were expressions of love and care,” she said.
Klinghoffer was sued in 2024 for fatally striking Sanchez while driving, as Sanchez walked on a marked path on his way to the grocery store on March 18, 2024.
The lawsuit accused Klinghoffer of “likely driving while distracted” and allegedly “using a device mere seconds before” hitting Sanchez while turning left.
“It was a tragic accident,” Klinghoffer’s lawyer Andrew Brettler told TMZ at the time.
“After Josh struck this pedestrian in the intersection, he immediately pulled over, stopped the car, called 911 and waited until police and the ambulance arrived.
“Obviously, he’s cooperating with the police throughout the traffic investigation. This was purely a tragic accident.”
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